I gain ten years' worth of cultivation every day, and even geniuses will only see my doorstep!

Each strike landed on the core of the black sphere of light, weakening the demon god's remnant soul by a fraction. The demon god's will grew increasingly chaotic amidst the flashing blades, transforming from initial arrogance to rage, from rage to madness, and from madness to… fear.

"Impossible! I am immortal! I am the embodiment of chaos! No one can kill chaos!"

When Qin Yuan delivered his final strike, the black sphere of light finally exploded completely.

The demonic energy surged in all directions like a tidal wave, but was trapped within the light circle of the Seven Star Demon-Locking Array. The demonic energy churned wildly within the array, attempting to reform, but each time it was shattered by Qin Yuan's blade light.

Finally, the last wisp of demonic energy dissipated.

The hall fell silent.

The light in the eyes of the seven goddess statues slowly faded, and they returned to their cold stone forms. The Seven Star Demon-Locking Array dissipated automatically, and the seven women staggered back a few steps, their faces pale, clearly exhausted.

Qin Yuan stood in the center of the statue circle, the bone blade hanging at his side, the patterns on the blade gradually fading away.

"Is it over?" Yueyao asked cautiously.

No one answered.

Because everyone saw one thing—at the spot where the demon god vanished, something was left behind.

It was a black crystal the size of a fist, perfectly round, with a smooth, mirror-like surface. It had neither demonic nor spiritual energy, and looked like an ordinary stone.

But Qin Yuan's bone blade was making a violent buzzing sound against it.

Su Yao stepped forward, squatted down, and examined the crystal closely. Her expression changed drastically.

"This is not the remnant soul of a demon god." Her voice trembled slightly, a rarity. "This is... the origin of chaos."

"What?" Yan Lingji's eyes widened.

"It wasn't lying." Su Yao stood up and looked at Qin Yuan. "It truly is the embodiment of chaos. Chaos is neither good nor evil; it devours all realms not out of malice, but out of instinct. It is itself a part of chaos; as long as chaos exists, it exists. You didn't kill it just now; you merely... scattered its consciousness."

"Will it come back to life?" Red Moon gripped her spear tightly.

Su Yao didn't speak, but her silence was worse than any answer.

Qin Yuan bent down and picked up the black crystal. It felt warm and smooth to the touch, and resonated strongly with the bone blade. The wisp of backlash power sealed deep within the bone blade throbbed violently, as if trying to break free of the seal and merge with the crystal.

Qin Yuan flipped the crystal over and saw several lines of tiny ancient divine script on its back.

Yueyao leaned closer to take a look and translated, "Chaos itself has no good or evil; Yin and Yang are originally one. He who holds this source can open the gate of chaos, or... destroy the gate of chaos." She was stunned. "I don't recognize the last three characters."

"Destroy the Gate of Chaos..." Qin Yuan repeated these words, gripping the black crystal tightly in his hand.

He suddenly remembered something.

At the pinnacle of all paths. The Palace of Returning to the Void. These were places he only learned of after becoming a Dao Ancestor. But those higher-level things—the Eternal Heaven Domain, the Immortal Realm, the Chaos Realm—he had always thought were the end of cultivation.

But what if the Chaos Realm isn't the end either?

What if Guixu Hall isn't the highest point either?

He looked up at the dome of the main hall. After the Seven Star Array dissipated, a pattern he hadn't noticed before was revealed on the dome. It was a huge ring, within which countless smaller rings were nested, layer upon layer, endlessly.

Yan Yue's voice suddenly came from outside the main hall.

"Qin Yuan!"

Her voice was urgent. Qin Yuan flashed and appeared at the entrance of the main hall. Yan Yue, leaning on a wooden cane, was running breathlessly from the passageway, holding a glowing communication token in her hand.

"News from the Heavenly Sword Holy Land." Yan Yue handed the token to Qin Yuan, her expression complex. "In the Eternal Heavenly Domain... a door has opened."

"What door?"

Yan Yue took a deep breath: "The Eternal Ladder. It opened by itself. A beam of light shone down from the highest point, shining directly into the Sword Pavilion of the Heavenly Sword Holy Land among the Thirty-Six Holy Lands. Sword Maniac said that a person walked out of that light."

She paused, looking into Qin Yuan's eyes.

"That man said he came from the Eternal Ladder and was looking for a Dao Ancestor surnamed Qin."

When Qin Yuan walked out of the sealed palace, it was just dawn.

The demonic energy of the misty sea had mostly dissipated, and sunlight shone through the thin gray clouds, illuminating his hempen clothes stained with black blood. His white hair was ruffled by the wind, his right hand gripped a bone blade, and his left hand clutched a fist-sized black crystal. Seven women followed behind him, each bearing the weariness of a fierce battle, but their eyes shone brightly.

Yan Yue stood at the edge of the camp, leaning on her wooden cane. When she saw Qin Yuan come out, her knuckles on the cane turned white from the force. She didn't speak, but simply handed him the communication token.

Qin Yuan took the token and probed it with his divine sense.

The voice of the Sword Maniac came from the token. It was brief, but every word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth: "The Eternal Heavenly Ladder has opened. Someone came down from the Heavenly Ladder and said he was looking for a Dao Ancestor surnamed Qin. He said he came from the Heavenly Ladder and was unwilling to explain his purpose, only saying one sentence—the Lord of Guixu Palace owes him something."

Qin Yuan returned the token to Yan Yue and looked up at the sky.

A faint pillar of light could already be seen on the horizon, descending from the highest heavens, piercing through the clouds, and shining directly towards the Eternal Heavenly Realm. It was the light of the Eternal Heavenly Ladder, exactly the same as the one he had seen when he participated in the Grand Assembly of Myriad Realms, but even more intense and domineering.

"What does that person look like?" Qin Yuan asked.

"The Sword Maniac wasn't described in the token," Yan Yue said. "But he added a sentence—that person said you met him many years ago."

Qin Yuan tapped the bone blade hilt lightly twice with his fingers.

People he met many years ago were able to descend from the Eternal Ladder. These two pieces of information, taken together, actually have a very small scope. Those who can ascend the Eternal Ladder are at least at the Immortal Realm or higher. And the number of people he knows who have reached the Immortal Realm can be counted on one hand.

"Return to the Eternal Heavenly Realm." Qin Yuan retracted the bone blade into his body. "Now."

"Wait a moment." Yan Yue took two steps forward, leaning on her wooden cane, and stood in front of Qin Yuan. She looked up at him, her pale face displaying a complex expression. "Before we go back, there's something I need to make clear to you."

Qin Yuan looked at her, waiting for her to continue.

"During the days I was imprisoned in the Heavenly Mystery Cult's dungeon, that thing kept going through my mind." Yan Yue's voice was steady, but the fingers gripping the wooden staff trembled slightly. "It went through all my memories, including those I experienced with you in the Eternal Heavenly Realm. It was disappointed because I didn't have a Holy Body; it didn't want me."